Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Fuels

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce a British fuel efficiency test for all motor vehicles sold in the United Kingdom which exactly simulates real driving conditions and which does not use a rolling road nor overinflated tyres.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: We will continue to work with the EU to produce testing that more accurately reflects real world driving conditions. The current laboratory test - the New European Test Procedure - is expected to be replaced in 2017 with a new test - the World Light duty Test Procedure - that will more closely replicate the design of modern vehicles and the way they are driven.

Aviation: Noise

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have conducted into (1) understanding how noise emissions from aviation impact on local communities, and (2) the effectiveness of different noise mitigation approaches in reducing the number of individuals affected by aircraft noises.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: In 2012 a National Noise Attitude Survey was carried out on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which included attitudes to noise from transport sources including aircraft.In 2014/15, Ipsos/MORI conducted on behalf of the Department for Transport a survey on noise attitudes which focused on noise from civil aviation, near to major airports in England. The results of the survey are currently being analysed with a view to publishing a report next year.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential to reduce aviation emissions through improved air traffic management.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The UK has set targets for the next five years for air traffic management aimed at reducing flying times and therefore aircraft emissions. These are in line with the environmental target contained within the EU performance scheme. In addition UK industry is actively involved in the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme which is developing new technology and operational procedures that will lead to further improvements in this area. This includes the implementation of the Civil Aviation Authority’s Future Airspace Strategy which has the need to reduce aviation emissions as a key objective.

Department for International Development

Tristan da Cunha: Shipping

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 19 October (HL2591), what are the present seaborne links they provide to the people of Tristan da Cunha.

Baroness Verma: Her Majesty’s Government does not provide seaborne links to the people of Tristan da Cunha. Freight and passenger services are provided on a commercial basis by a private company.

Ministry of Justice

Immigration: Children

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many immigration and asylum cases in the years 2013–14 and 2014–15 have involved children as claimants in their own right; of those, how many received funding for legal help or representation; and in what percentage of these cases was the child represented.

Lord Faulks: The First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) received 15,134 in 2013-14 and 13,981 appeals in 2014-15 where the appellant stated they were below the age of 18 when their appeal was lodged.Data on the number of child appellants who are in receipt of funding are not held centrally by HMCTS.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Electronic Surveillance: USA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to examine the key findings of fact by Judge Hogan in the European Court of Justice’s judgment in case C-362/14, Maximillian Schrems v Data Protection Commissioner.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is disappointed with the European Court of Justice judgement in the Schrems case. There is an important principle here that companies must be able to transfer data to third-party countries with appropriate safeguards and we are concerned about the uncertainty this judgement creates.The Government urges the European Commission and US authorities to reach a swift conclusion on their negotiation of a revised agreement.I recently held a roundtable with business where I listened to theirs reactions and I have agreed to continue engaging with them. I have also been discussing further guidance with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO has made a statement which highlights alternative methods of data transfer to the US with more advice to follow.

Mobile Phones: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when and where the Mobile Infrastructure Project will be rolled out in Northern Ireland.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Mobile Infrastructure Project is being rolled out in Northern Ireland up to the end of March 2016.There are currently 7 masts in build phase. These are located in:• Derry and Strabane District• Fermanagh and Omagh (2 sites)• Lisburn and Castlereagh• Mid Ulster (3 sites)Planning permission was received for 4 sites. These sites are located in:• Mid Ulster (3 sites)• Newry, Mourne and DownPlanning applications were submitted but decisions awaiting for 5 other sites. These are located in:• Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon• Derry and Strabane District• Fermanagh and Omagh (2 sites)• Mid Ulster

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 20 October (HL2620), how much they expect to save in particular in housing benefit payments from the reductions in social rent levied by housing associations.

Lord Freud: Estimates of the total benefit savings due to the reductions in social rent announced in the 2015 Summer Budget were presented in the associated policy costing publication.The table below shows the amount of the total benefit savings which relates to housing association tenancies. This includes both Housing Benefit and Universal Credit.Estimated reduction in benefit payments to housing association tenants, £millions, cash terms 2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21Benefit savings relating to Housing Associations14542579011901305

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Lions: Hunting

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on legal imports of lion-hunting trophies into the European Union.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Under international rules set by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a hunting trophy from an endangered species can be exported only if the exporting country is satisfied that the hunt was both legal and sustainable in terms of its impact on the overall population of the species in that country.However, in the light of growing concerns about the sustainability of the hunting of some species, including lions, we have worked within the EU to introduce stricter controls on the import of hunting trophies of particular species. These require the importing country as well as the exporting country to consider the issue of sustainability. In this way the import of hunting trophies of certain species from certain countries is currently prohibited by the EU.We will continue to monitor the impact of trophy hunting and will work with the EU and our international partners to put in place greater protection, including prohibiting imports, if this is shown to be needed.

Agriculture: Subsidies

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to have fulfilled the agri-environment scheme payments to farmers, and how they will ensure that delays in making such payments do not happen next year.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We recognise the importance of early payments to the rural community. As at 22 October, Environmental Stewardship advance payments had been made to 25,200 agreement holders with a total value of £62.5 million. Natural England and the Rural Payments Agency continue to work to get payments out as soon as possible with the aim of making the remaining advance payments in November and December.This year, 2015, has been a transitional year as new Common Agricultural Policy rules have taken effect. Whilst we would expect these payments to start earlier next year, from 2018 new EU rules will prevent any payments being made before 16 October.

Agriculture: Pay

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics are made publicly available on agricultural wages since the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Office for National Statistics publishes various agricultural wage statistics as part of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.The latest statistical release containing agricultural wage rates is entitled “Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2014 Provisional Results.”

HM Treasury

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a health impact assessment of the reductions in, and freezes to, alcohol duties announced in the last Budget.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government published its assessment of the impacts of the alcohol duty change in the Tax Information and Impact Notes published alongside the March 2015 Budget document. Budget documentation is available in the Printed Paper Office.

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the funding of free school meals for infants schools will be protected in the forthcoming spending review.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The continuation of universal infant free school meals was a commitment in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto.The government is currently conducting a Spending Review across all of its programmes.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fracking

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether companies carrying out hydraulic fracturing operations in the United Kingdom must provide full details of the chemicals that they use including all the ingredients of proprietary products, and whether this information will be made available to the public.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Operators are required to disclose fully the composition of fracturing fluid additives as part of their application for environmental permits. The Environment Agency (EA) assesses the hazards presented by fracturing fluid additives or drilling muds on a case-by-case basis and will not permit the use of chemicals hazardous to groundwater where they may enter groundwater and cause pollution. The EA has the power to restrict or prohibit the use of any substances where they would pose an environmental risk.Information on chemical substances and their maximum concentrations is included within the environmental permit. The permit is placed on the public register.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the construction of four commercial nuclear power reactors for the United Arab Emirates by a South Korean consortium with a total capacity of 5.6 GWe at cost of £14 billion, in the light of their plans for nuclear generation at Hinkley Point.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Government does not make direct comparisons between projects in different circumstances that have different contracts and are situated in different markets.There has been a thorough review of the costs of the Hinkley Point C project to ensure that the contract represents value for money. Hinkley will provide reliable low carbon energy for around 60 years and offer 25,000 jobs during construction. My rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State expects to be in a position to take her final decision on the Contract for Difference and associated agreements for Hinkley Point C once the documentation relating to equity investment into the project is finalised.

Cabinet Office

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 21 September (HL2088), what part of the total remuneration paid to members of the Chilcot Inquiry has been paid to Sir John Chilcot in both attendance allowances and expenses.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Inquiry will account for its costs after the completion of its report.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many citizens of each European Union member state, other than the United Kingdom and Ireland, aged 18 or over are resident in the United Kingdom; and of those, how many have been resident in the United Kingdom for more than five years, broken down by their country of citizenship.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to PEER - Citizenship
(PDF Document, 104.25 KB)

Electoral Register: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the breakdown by (1) nation, (2) region, and (3) nationality, of the number and proportion of 16 to 24 year-olds applying to register to vote online since the launch of Individual Electoral Registration in summer 2014.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Since the introduction of IER in Great Britain in June 2014 there have been over 2.8 million applications to vote from 16 - 24 year olds including over 2.2 million online applications. It is not possible to provide a breakdown by nationality. Although electors are required to state their nationality when submitting an application to register, this information is not recorded as part of the published register.NationRegistration Applications (26 Oct 2015)England1,970,492Scotland150,411Wales99,959English RegionRegistration Applications (26 Oct 2015)South East326,054London318,611North West274,468East of England197,361West Midlands191,396South West208,735Yorkshire and Humber192,672East Midlands175,795North East85,400